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W. Cai et al.
water needed by industry, agriculture, domestic use and ecological environment
in 2030 and 2050 by measure of future China GDP, population, industrial structure, urbanization growth, etc. At the current momentum, total water consumption
is expected to hit 727.7 billion m
3 (2030) and 786.3 billion m
3 (2050), of which
most of the increase comes from industry, domestic use and ecological environment.
Chai (2012) has made a forecast of agriculture water demand in six provinces and
municipalities in north China by 2015 based on gray model, warning that agricultural
sector in Hebei Province would suffer a shortfall of 4.62 billion m
3 in 2015.
For more detailed description of the inherent drivers of water demand in China,
some studies have probed into water demand in specific industrial segments. For
instance, Wang et al. (2014) identified the industrial water footprint and its intensity through quantitative accounting, concluding that agriculture, food and tobacco
processing, power and heat production and supply ranked relatively higher in full
water footprint, of which agriculture took up 77.7%, 79.0% and 79.3% in 1997, 2002,
2007 respectively, and the production and supply of power and heat accounted for
83.6, 83.8, 53.7%. This signifies high water demand from these sectors which, as
a result, were major sectoral drivers for water demand. Sun and Yan (2020) calculated the gray water footprint of intermediate and final consumption in 30 provinces
and 17 sectors in China from 2002 to 2012, finding that agriculture was the biggest
source of gray water footprint while four other industrial sectors, including commerce
and transport, showed considerable footprint, yet their aggregate was far below that
of agriculture, and that five other industrial sectors, including manufacturing, had
remained small in such footprint.
5.2.3 Rising Demand for Water Resources: Changes
in Residential Water Footprint
In 2002, Dutch scholar Hoekstra coined the term “water footprint” based on “eco
footprint”, measuring the direct and indirect impact on water resources from final
consumption throughout its entire life cycle, thereby providing a new paradigm for
strengthening water management. Since its conception, the research on water footprint has been constantly expanding, and water footprint of residential consumption,
in particular, has raised a flurry of chatter across the world, including in China, where
the pressure from residential consumption on water resources has been mounting with
its rising economy and standard of living. Cai et al. (2019) made a study on the blue
water footprint and gray water footprint of urban household consumption in China
(the former refers to the surface and underground water consumed in product supply
chain; and the latter means the total fresh water needed to dilute pollution to the level
of natural background concentration or environmental standard). The study found
that water footprint per capita brought by urban household consumption fell from
1992 to 2012, which was mainly attributable to technological progress. The study
W. Cai et al.
water needed by industry, agriculture, domestic use and ecological environment
in 2030 and 2050 by measure of future China GDP, population, industrial structure, urbanization growth, etc. At the current momentum, total water consumption
is expected to hit 727.7 billion m
3 (2030) and 786.3 billion m
3 (2050), of which
most of the increase comes from industry, domestic use and ecological environment.
Chai (2012) has made a forecast of agriculture water demand in six provinces and
municipalities in north China by 2015 based on gray model, warning that agricultural
sector in Hebei Province would suffer a shortfall of 4.62 billion m
3 in 2015.
For more detailed description of the inherent drivers of water demand in China,
some studies have probed into water demand in specific industrial segments. For
instance, Wang et al. (2014) identified the industrial water footprint and its intensity through quantitative accounting, concluding that agriculture, food and tobacco
processing, power and heat production and supply ranked relatively higher in full
water footprint, of which agriculture took up 77.7%, 79.0% and 79.3% in 1997, 2002,
2007 respectively, and the production and supply of power and heat accounted for
83.6, 83.8, 53.7%. This signifies high water demand from these sectors which, as
a result, were major sectoral drivers for water demand. Sun and Yan (2020) calculated the gray water footprint of intermediate and final consumption in 30 provinces
and 17 sectors in China from 2002 to 2012, finding that agriculture was the biggest
source of gray water footprint while four other industrial sectors, including commerce
and transport, showed considerable footprint, yet their aggregate was far below that
of agriculture, and that five other industrial sectors, including manufacturing, had
remained small in such footprint.
5.2.3 Rising Demand for Water Resources: Changes
in Residential Water Footprint
In 2002, Dutch scholar Hoekstra coined the term “water footprint” based on “eco
footprint”, measuring the direct and indirect impact on water resources from final
consumption throughout its entire life cycle, thereby providing a new paradigm for
strengthening water management. Since its conception, the research on water footprint has been constantly expanding, and water footprint of residential consumption,
in particular, has raised a flurry of chatter across the world, including in China, where
the pressure from residential consumption on water resources has been mounting with
its rising economy and standard of living. Cai et al. (2019) made a study on the blue
water footprint and gray water footprint of urban household consumption in China
(the former refers to the surface and underground water consumed in product supply
chain; and the latter means the total fresh water needed to dilute pollution to the level
of natural background concentration or environmental standard). The study found
that water footprint per capita brought by urban household consumption fell from
1992 to 2012, which was mainly attributable to technological progress. The study